In The Shadows Of The Lab
by TheBlackWook
Summary: She's just before her car's door, key in hand. But for an obscure reason she stops. She doesn't know how long she stays like this, frozen as a statue, but the next thing she knows is that she comes back inside the building, key back in her purse. Or Caitlin wanting to watch after Harrison post Ep 7. - Harrison Wells / Caitlin Snow (SnowWells) OneShot.


**Author's Note :** Hi guys ! How you doing ? Here is a OneShot I've been working on for a long time. I find it turned OC, especially for Harrison, but well, I'm happy to have finished it and to post it to you. Again, thanks for your precedents reviews guys, it made my day, so don't forget to do it again for this fic :) ! I hope you'll like it and that you'll enjoy it :) ! Another thing I wanna tell you : for those of you who read my other OS "Sleep Well Caitlin" I'm going to work on a sequel of this fic, so stay tuned and let me know if you have suggestions :) :D ! Well, time I leave you know :) ! Bye and see y'a :) ! Don't forget to review !

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><p>Holding the blood sample in his hands, Harrison walked over to his secret room, putting the syringe in a specific drawer with numerous emplacements, as if more were to come. As he was about to leave the room, walking, he heard the digital voice of Gideon :<p>

"_You should be careful Dr Wells, I see Dr Snow is in the lab."_

Caitlin ? What was she doing here at this hour ? Harrison was surprised but couldn't help feeling his heart beginning to race. It's not that he was worried : he had been careful and no one knew his secrets. No, it was something very different that made his heart race. But he didn't want to accept it, he didn't want to give in, because he thought it would turn him away from his objectives. He couldn't afford it, just… couldn't. And he didn't know if it was because he just wanted to stay focus on what he was planning or if it was because it has been a long time since he last felt those kinds of feelings. Even if she seemed like Tess sometimes, Caitlin was far more different from her. She had that way to be focused. Some would say she was just cold, ice, but it wasn't quite that. There was a truth, yes, in her being dedicated to her job, but Harrison thought it as a mask. She was able to separate work and personal life in that way and for that, Harrison couldn't help but admire her even more than before. When he first met her, when she presented her thesis, he had been quite surprised to find that this young woman had such knowledge, theories and potential in the scientific world. It was in that very same moment that he decided to offer her a job at STAR Labs : he knew she would be perfect, she was the person he needed to achieve his project. And thinking about it, he loved it all the way. He found out they had a lot in common, they shared the same focus, the same method on work. He hadn't been that pleased when this Raymond guy began to date her. In fact, he hadn't been pleased at all, but she kept on working like she worked before, with the same energy, and even more : she was enthusiastic, but most of all : happy. And even if he had to admit that it pained him to see her with this boy, he couldn't find a more overwhelming feeling than to see her happy. And now it seems that the word happy was not part of her vocabulary anymore : since her boyfriend's death in the explosion, she had put on a mask, Harrison could swear. Every day she seemed okay, saying it when she was asked, but there was rare and short moments, when she thought no one was watching her, when she looked contemplative, deep in thoughts, melancholic : sad. He tried to be nice, to cheer her up, but obviously, he couldn't do all what he wanted without raising the suspicions of Barry and Cisco. Not that they would actually care or mind, he thought. They were two good young men, wanting the best for others. But yet, Harrison restrained him. He was STAR Labs's boss after all, mysterious, cruel and arrogant Dr Harrison Wells as the rest of the world seemed to think. A bitter smile crossed his features for a second : even if he didn't have a real family before, he thought that ensuring and changing the world's future made him as some sort of leader, father or whatever in the scientific world and more. But now everything was lost, though he had still hopes. Tired of these thoughts he rolled up his sleeves and massaged his eyes before putting on the glasses again and going back into the wheelchair. He carefully wheeled out of his secret room, before making sure it closed entirely and disappeared, being invisible for everyone else but him. Caitlin was still on his mind, so he went inside the main lab. Her back was turned to him, she seemed to wait for something or someone : him ? He took few seconds to watch her with a softened look. He wouldn't admit it but he had a soft spot for her. And well… A soft spot was an underestimation : he loved the way her lips used to smile, he loved her expressive brown eyes, her almost ginger brown hair, the way she was dedicated to her work and stubborn about it, the way she could be shy around him sometimes, and then so self-confident about her research. He loved her humour, which was similar to his, the way she could stay strong even after all that happened, how she could scare Barry and Cisco sometimes. In fact, he loved everything in her even though he was trying to fight the feeling.

After few seconds observing her, she turned, as if she sensed he was there and greeted him with an hesitant smile :

"_Dr Wells."_ She simply said.

"_Caitlin."_ He replied in the same tone. _"I'm surprised to see you're still here."_

"_Well… The boys insisted to take me with them to the bar, relaxing after this hectic night. I went, but I couldn't think of anything else but tonight."_

"_I understand. It must have been exhausting and well, with the pressure down now, it must be more."_

"_Yeah I guess so…"_ She said, a look on her face he couldn't place.

They stayed in silence for few seconds before Harrison wheeled in her direction. But as he did so, he winced, sensing an ache near his ribcage. Alarmed, Caitlin almost rushed to him :

"_Are you okay ? Oh my god, I was so sure that psycho hurt you, I couldn't think of any…"_ She stopped when she remarked she was rambling and that her boss was watching her with a puzzled look. _"Well… Never mind. But let me check this up, I want to make sure it's nothing."_ She added.

He wasn't really happy about this. Not at her… In fact he was finding her cute with her behaviour but he was somewhat angry at himself for having shown a weakness. But the thought left him as soon as it arrived and he complied to the younger woman who pushed his wheelchair to avoid him further pain. Though he could walk, he had this little smirk of satisfaction seeing her take care of him like she was doing right now. Arriving beside the bed, she stopped, and seemed to think for a second, before watching him.

"_Ok… I'm gonna lift you up on this bed."_

"_Are you crazy Caitlin ? I'm too heavy for you." _He said, an amused look on his face, which grew even more when he saw her determined look, trying to scare him gently.

She tried to lift him up but she couldn't, she just managed to lift him a few centimetres above the wheelchair, nothing more. She really wanted to succeed but soon faced reality : she didn't have enough strength. She stopped, looking at Harrison who tried hard to hide his amusement. She gave him a look before she came up with another idea, turning his wheelchair so that the bed was now to his left. He looked at her, waiting for an explanation :

"_Okay so, I need you to use your strength. It will hurt, but I won't be able to put you on that bed otherwise. So put your left arm on the bed, and the right around my shoulders."_

He was startled for a second by her self-confidence around him. Usually she was a bit shy, respecting a certain distance that was usual in a boss and employee relationship. He watched for another few seconds, staring into her brown eyes that were waiting for him before he complied and put his arm around her shoulders, while hers wrapped around his back. Somehow, even if he knew it, it seems that his body wasn't prepared for this simple touch and he felt goose bumps in his back, where her arm was resting. She counted to three and he then used all the strength in his arms to push him up from the wheelchair, helped by Caitlin who was supporting him with all her force. Once his upper body was on the bed, she grabbed his legs to put them on the bed as well. Forcing as he did, the ache in his ribcage hurt more than ever, trying to catch his breath, but however, he managed to have a small smile on his face, looking at Caitlin. She didn't move, her breathing being quick, looking into his eyes, her hand near his. She was drowned in those bright blue eyes of his, but she soon coughed and blushed :

"_Excuse me, well… So your ache… Where is it ?"_

"_Near my ribcage I believe."_ He replied simply.

At that moment she seemed to think about something and she blushed even more than before.

"_Well… I need you to take off your sweater."_ She said so quietly that he thought he had imagined her voice.

He watched her, as if asking if he had heard her well, and it made her blush even more. He so did as he was told and pulled off his black sweater, not without wincing when his head was hidden in the sweater. He put it aside and focus back on Caitlin. And she seemed to blush even deeper, if that was even possible. She couldn't help staring at his strong chest and his abs. He had abs. Dr Harrison Wells had well-built abs. She would have never thought about it. Of course, he wasn't a fat or weak man, but she just assumed he was thin. But now she discovered that he was thin AND strong with muscles, visible but not too much, just like it needed to be. Her eyes drifted then to his arms and she hadn't imagined they would be like this. They seemed to be bigger and stronger than Ronnie's. She closed her eyes a second to gain composure again and then reached out with her hand to touch his ribcage.

"_Is it there ?"_ She asked.

She was then surprised to feel his fingers and all his hand wrapping around hers, gently, to place her hand over where he was hurt.

"_Here."_ He said as surprised as her by his gesture he made quite on his instinct.

They stayed like this for seconds that seemed hours, staring into each other's eyes, getting drowned into them, not moving, their hearts racing. Caitlin didn't even remembered to breath and she gripped his ribcage, without realizing it. Harrison let out a small grunt and it made the bioengineer scientist out of her reverie :

"_Oh my god I'm so sorry. I just… Bugged… I guess…"_ She apologised.

She then avoided his gaze and went to find the X-ray machine to see if bones were broken and if his lungs were not hit by an eventual broken bone. It was a very modern machine that even hospitals didn't have. After she had scanned his upper body with the X-Ray, Caitlin waited for the results, that would take few seconds to arrive on the screen.

"_You have a broken rib."_ She announced once she saw the scans on the screen. _"Fortunately, it didn't hit your lungs, so that's a good point. And the other good news is that the broke is not too serious. I'll just have to put a tight bandage around it, that I'll need to check in a few days, and it will be gone soon."_ She finished almost breathlessly.

Harrison was amazed at how her attitude could change this quickly. Minutes ago she was shy, embarrassed, not knowing what to say and now she talked like the doctor she was, with all explanation and with assurance. It was a thing he discovered and loved it instantly. He watched her taking what she needed to bandage his rib with intense eyes as if they couldn't look anywhere else but her. She approached him again and put the bandage on his rib, putting her hand on it so it wouldn't move. She began to unwrap the rest of it, making Harrison to sit, so she could wrap it around his back too. She finished the bandage and stitched it with medical scotch.

"_And here it is, sir. I hope it's not too tight, so you can breathe."_ She said with a nervous smile.

"_Don't worry Caitlin, it's perfect. I'm sure I won't feel anything in a record time."_ He assured her with a smile of his own, she never managed to place.

She stayed there, watching him. She knew she had nothing to do in there anymore : she had assured he was okay and she healed him as she could. So why was she staying there, not moving ? She couldn't even tell. She wanted to say something, to move, but the only thing she managed to say was something that made her slapped her mentally :

"_Hm.. Are you going to go home ? I could drive you there if you want."_

"_I appreciate your offer Miss Snow, but it's a long way and I think I'm gonna stay here for the night."_

"_You're gonna stay on this bed ?"_ Another mental slap.

"_Well yes… It's a bed, I'm already on it : easy equation." _

She smiles with a blush before answering :

"_Good… I should go now. Have a good night Dr Wells. If you need anything just call me, okay ?"_

"_Thank you Caitlin." _

And for one rare moment, he flashes her a real smile. Not a smirk, nor a grin : a real genuine smile that softened his face in a way she had never seen before, and she feels lucky to have seen it now. Handing a pillow and a blanket to Harrison who thanks her, she then grabbed her purse and goes out of STAR Labs facilities. She's just before her car's door, key in hand. But for an obscure reason she stops. She doesn't know how long she stays like this, frozen as a statue, but the next thing she knows is that she comes back inside the building, key back in her purse. Only few minutes have gone by since she first left the main lab, but she thinks that maybe her boss is already sleeping so she takes off her high heels on the corridor before going in again, slowly and quietly. There's no light, but Caitlin manages to see around her. She takes a chair and places it next to the bed, and sits on it. His eyes are closed she can tell and it seems to her he had gone to sleep already. His glasses are still on, and instinctively, she takes them off him and put them aside. He seems to be a different man without them, an unknown man she doesn't know, as if he was two persons in one and the glasses being the factor to different them. She then put her hands in his hair, not really knowing why but feeling like it's right, and she brushes them slowly, getting them more tousled than they usually are. When she finally stops and removes her hand, her eyes slowly shutting from the tiredness, she woke fully as she feels his hand taking hers.

"_Caitlin ? What are you doing here ?"_ He asks his voice hoarse.

She doesn't know what to say. There wasn't a real and rational explanation for her being here in the dark by his side, caressing his hair and watching over him.

"_I don't really know myself."_ She answers, honest. _"I was worried about you all this evening, I made sure you were okay, and I don't know why but I didn't want to go home, I wanted to watch over you."_ She whispers, not sure of her voice if she had spoken in a normal tone.

He doesn't say anything, he just watches her with his piercing blue eyes, a look she can't quite place, before he moves closer to her. Still holding her hand, he kisses it before he lowers his head to be at her height. Her mouth is slightly open and she doesn't know how to react but next thing she knows is that she put her free hand on his cheek and closed the space between them. It's soft and gentle, the way they kiss. Their lips are sweetness for each other and for a moment, they just forget about everything but them kissing in the shadows of the lab. What seemed like an eternity to them only was seconds and when they part away, there's that in their eyes, a look that says it will be alright for both of them. A look that also says they want more. Harrison is the first to move and, since she's pretty close to the bed, he grabs her in his arms, lifting her up so she's now on the bed with him, on top of him. They kiss again with hunger, passion and discovery this time, lips and tongues meeting in a quiet symphony. His hands are on her waist while hers are on his, still shirtless, chest. It's as if they are teenagers again, not willing to waste time, going a hundred miles a minute. They stop, when they're in need of air to feel their lungs and maybe, they're not teenagers anymore as they both silently agree to wait for more. Settling next to him, her head against his heart and her hands on his torso, she looks at him one last time before closing her eyes. She has a small on her face. A real smile he hadn't seen since the explosion. Brushing some strands of her hair behind her ear, he kisses her forehead, before wrapping an arm around her waist and closing his eyes too, drifting to a peaceful sleep, one thing he hadn't had since a really long time.


End file.
